Allostatic Overload

The Cost of High Performance

Burnout is not a failure of will; it is a hardware failure. The human brain is designed for acute stress sprints, not the chronic ultramarathon of modern executive leadership. When the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis is activated indefinitely, the constant bath of cortisol leads to "Allostatic Load."

Neurobiological Impact

• Dendritic Retraction: Chronic stress causes neurons in the Prefrontal Cortex (decision making) and Hippocampus (memory) to physically shrink and disconnect.
• Amygdala Hypertrophy: Conversely, the brain's "fear center" grows larger and more reactive, creating a feedback loop of anxiety and vigilance.
• Sleep Fragmentation: Disruption of Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) prevents the glymphatic system from clearing metabolic waste (amyloid beta) from the brain.

The Protocol: System Reset

We do not "treat" burnout with talk therapy alone. We reverse the physical damage using the Cortex Protocol:

[ RESET POINT ] Pharmacological intervention breaks the cumulative stress curve.